Chapter 58 : A Pill of Power and Promise

Now, Eldrin Chen held a position of unusual standing within the clan. This time, Old Patriarch did not intervene, instead granting Eldrin Chen the authority to decide the fate of the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm].

Consequently, over a dozen clan members at the Qi Refinement, Late Stage came seeking an audience, hoping to exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill from him.

Eldrin Chen made no promises. Instead, he simply convened a meeting in the Clan Affairs Hall, gathering the various Grand Elders and high-ranking members at the Qi Refinement, Late Stage.

Within the Clan Affairs Hall, Eldrin Chen sat calmly in the seat of honor, his gaze sweeping over the assembly. He noted their tense expressions, each face etched with a barely concealed flicker of excitement.

Third ElderLior Chen, his face alight with fervor, was the first to speak. "Who could have imagined such profound changes would befall our Chen Clan in the span of mere years?"

"First, Eldrin achieved Foundation Establishment through his own efforts, and now we have obtained not one, but two Foundation Establishment Pills! Truly, the heavens have smiled upon us."

A faint smile touched Eldrin Chen's lips, his own mood buoyant. "Regarding the allocation of these Foundation Establishment Pills, I have devised a proposal. I shall present it now for your deliberation."

His words drew their complete attention. Tension thickened the air as every eye fixed upon him, awaiting his decree.

Eldrin Chen's gaze shifted slightly, settling upon Fifth ElderChen Elara. He then continued.

"Within the clan, the cultivators who have reached the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer and are not yet sixty years of age are precisely Aunt Elara and Uncle Lior." Published by audio-novel*com. All rights reserved.

"In these years of hardship and tribulation for our clan, Aunt Elara has toiled tirelessly, her heart and labor devoted to our cause. Whether measured by merit or sheer effort, she is the most deserving to exchange for this item."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to Lior Chen. In truth, the Third Elder was several years younger than the Fourth Elder, Chen Alistair, and was of an age similar to Chen Elara.

The Third Elder was a cultivator with Metal-Water Dual Spiritual Roots [a rare affinity for both metal and water spiritual energies]. In terms of innate talent, he was in no way inferior to the Sixth Elder, Chen Cedric. It was merely because his cultivation progressed too swiftly, allowing him to break through to the Qi Refinement, Late Stage [the advanced phase of refining one's vital energy] quite early, that he consequently became the clan's Third Elder.

At this moment, Eldrin Chen looked at the Third Elder and said with earnest sincerity, "As for the other Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in solidifying one's cultivation foundation], I propose it be given to Uncle Lior."

This choice took everyone by surprise. A clansman from the Nian Generation, Chen Silvan, could not help but stand up and speak.

"I understand that in terms of seniority and contribution, the Third Elder is absolutely qualified to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"However," he continued, "the Third Elder suffered damage to his foundational vitality [the core life force essential for cultivation] in a duel years ago. His physical body has never fully recovered, leaving him with virtually no chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment [the realm where one's cultivation base is solidified]."

Chen Silvan was now forty-three years old. Among the Nian Generation, he was considered a rising star and had already reached the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer [the eighth stage of refining one's vital energy].

Logically, with his talent, if the clan devoted its resources to nurturing him, he could break through to Qi Refinement Ninth Layer within a decade. Furthermore, he could refine his foundation to a considerable degree, making him a suitable candidate to use a Foundation Establishment Pill to assault the Foundation Establishment realm.

Precisely because of this, he was unwilling to give up now and still wished to contend for this last Foundation Establishment Pill.

Lior Chen also rose to his feet, swiftly objecting, "I know you cherish our past bonds, but my physical body is damaged. My chances of a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] are virtually nil. Even if I were to receive a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in achieving the Foundation Establishment realm], it would be a waste."

"Had my body not been injured back then, that Foundation Establishment Pill from former Cedric should have rightfully come to me long ago. There would have been no need for it to wait until today."

"There is no need for concern," Eldrin Chen replied with a faint smile. "Fortune has favored us. I managed to acquire a Blood-Replenishing Ginseng [a rare ginseng that regenerates vital essence and blood] during a trade at Celestial Ruins Mountain."

"Tomorrow, I shall fire up the furnace to refine a batch of Stasis-Dispersing Pill [a pill that disperses blood stasis and heals physical damage]. This pill is potent enough to heal the physical injuries of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their foundation], and it should be sufficient to fully cure your wounds."

As one of the clan's only two Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and with the Old Patriarch having delegated authority to him, Eldrin Chen now held a supremely elevated status within the family.

With his declaration, no one present dared to raise further objections. The matter was thus settled with finality.

After the council concluded, Eldrin Chen handed the Foundation Establishment Pill to Chen Elara. After a moment's thought, he added a word of caution, "Do not rush your attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment just yet."

"Once I have successfully refined the Stasis-Dispersing Pill, I will return to Spirit Isle Lake. At that time, I will refine a batch of Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that concentrates and refines one's spiritual essence], which can increase your chances of a Foundation Establishment breakthrough by another half-tenth."

Having given his instructions, he wasted no further time and proceeded directly to the clan's Alchemy Chamber [a specialized room for pill refinement].

The refinement of the Stasis-Dispersing Pill required sixteen different types of Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy]. Apart from the relatively precious Blood-Replenishing Ginseng, the others were not particularly rare.

After acquiring the Blood-Replenishing Ginseng [a potent spirit herb that restores vital essence and blood] at Celestial Ruins Mountain, Eldrin Chen had promptly procured all the supplementary herbs through the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion and was now ready to begin the alchemical refinement.

As he ignited the Alchemy Furnace [a specialized vessel for concocting pills and elixirs], a look of solemn focus settled upon Eldrin Chen's features.

This was his first true attempt at refining a Second Rank Pill [a pill of significant potency, suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators]; his previous concoction of the Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that concentrates and gathers spiritual essence] had only been of quasi-second rank.

Nevertheless, his decision to attempt the Stasis-Dispersing Pill [a pill designed to dissolve spiritual blockages and stagnant energy] was not without confidence. The primary challenges of pill refinement, he knew, boiled down to three core principles.

First, one must understand the interplay of sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy ingredients—the ability to balance the properties of various Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in cultivation] and determine their precise proportions.

The second was practical experience. For an Alchemist [a practitioner who refines spiritual herbs into pills and elixirs], the nuanced handling and instinctive decisions at critical moments during the refinement process were often paramount to success. Access the full story on audio-novel dot com.

The final point was one's cultivation base and spiritual sense. If either was insufficient, attempting to refine higher-grade pills would prove exceptionally difficult.

Eldrin Chen had studied spirit farming for many years and had refined numerous pills. Combined with the techniques gleaned from the Alchemy Tome [a manual detailing the art of pill refinement], his comprehension of ingredient synergy and his practical experience had long since touched the threshold of the second rank.

Even before his breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment realm [the second major stage of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation], he had been capable of producing quasi-second-rank Essence Gathering Pill. Now, having ascended to Foundation Establishment, the gap in his cultivation and spiritual sense had been bridged, granting him a reasonable chance of successfully refining this Stasis-Dispersing Pill.

Yet, as this was his first attempt with the Stasis-Dispersing Pill, Eldrin Chen proceeded with utmost caution. He meticulously prepared and processed each herb before finally commencing the refinement of the Stasis-Dispersing Pill.

He refined it with a gentle flame, extracting over a dozen supplementary herbs, and then took out the Blood-Replenishing Ginseng [a rare ginseng prized for its potent blood-restoring properties].

Unlike ordinary supplementary herbs, this Blood-Replenishing Ginseng was exceptionally precious; Eldrin Chen possessed only a single stalk. Fearing to damage it, he began the refinement process with utmost care.

All Spirit Medicine [herbs imbued with spiritual energy] contain impurities. To refine them into pills, one must meticulously remove these impurities bit by bit; the fewer the impurities, the higher the chance of successful pill formation.

Eldrin Chen continuously tempered it with his True Flame [a cultivator's purified inner flame], refining the impurities within the Blood-Replenishing Ginseng into ash as if unraveling silk from a cocoon. After five days of this arduous process, he had finally purged all impurities from the ginseng, transforming it into a mass of crimson medicinal liquid.

"Adequate enough," he murmured.

Gazing at the condensed medicinal liquid, Eldrin Chen allowed himself a slight sigh of relief.

Although a significant portion of the liquid had evaporated along with the impurities during the purification, the remaining mass was still sufficient to condense into four Stasis-Dispersing Pill [pills that dissolve blockages and stagnant energy within the body's meridians].

"The final step remains," he whispered to himself.

As he approached the critical juncture, Eldrin Chen's focus grew even more intense, his demeanor grave.

After merging and tempering all the medicinal liquid, he finally separated it into four nascent pills. He then intensified the True Flame, aiming to solidify the pills swiftly into their final form.

"Hiss—"

A soft sound followed as one of the globules of medicinal liquid, unable to withstand the tempering of the True Flame [a pure, potent flame used in high-level alchemy and cultivation], transformed into a wisp of azure smoke and vanished. Read, share, and discuss at audio novel.com.